ASUS ROG NUC 2026 (ROG NUC 16) vs ROG NUC 15: Which Mini Gaming PC to Buy in Singapore
The ASUS ROG NUC is the fastest thing you can put in a three-litre box: a 24-core Intel Core Ultra HX processor and up to a GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU (RTX 5090 on the limited Edition 20) in a chassis that stands upright beside a monitor or lies flat under one. The ROG NUC 15 (2025, Core Ultra 200HX "Arrow Lake") is now down to a single configuration in Singapore, while the new ROG NUC 16, often called the ROG NUC 2026, moves to Intel's Core Ultra 200HX Plus series and adds a white finish. The GPU generation is the same across both, which makes the choice about CPU, GPU tier, colour and price. This guide compares the two, lists every configuration SourceIT stocks in Singapore, and covers the use case ASUS does not put on the box: a ROG NUC is also the most affordable ASUS machine that runs the real CUDA stack on Windows. For a plain price list, see ROG NUC 16 price in Singapore.
ROG NUC 16 vs ROG NUC 15: what changed
| ROG NUC 15 (2025) | ROG NUC 16 (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores, up to 5.4 GHz) or Core Ultra 7 255HX[4][5] | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (8P + 16E, 24 threads, up to 5.5 GHz) or Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus[1][6] |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 5080 / 5070 Ti / 5070 / 5060 Laptop (RTX 5070 sold in Singapore today) | GeForce RTX 5080 (16 GB GDDR7) / 5070 Ti (12 GB) / 5060 (8 GB) Laptop; RTX 5090 (24 GB) on Edition 20[1][3] |
| Memory | 2x SODIMM, DDR5-6400 fitted; up to 96 GB (2 x 48 GB DDR5-5600)[4] | 2x SODIMM, DDR5-6400 fitted; up to 64 GB[1] |
| Storage | M.2 2280 NVMe, PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 drives up to 4 TB supported | Two M.2 2280 slots, one PCIe 4.0 x4 and one PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Chassis | About 3 L, 282.4 x 187.7 x 56.5 mm, 3.12 kg; black | About 3 L, 282.5 x 189.5 x 56.5 mm, 3.2 kg; black or white |
| I/O | Thunderbolt 4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 6x USB-A 10 Gbps, 2.5 GbE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | Thunderbolt 4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 6x USB-A 10 Gbps, 2.5 GbE, Wi-Fi 7 (Killer BE1750x), Bluetooth 5.4 |
| OS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
| SourceIT price | S$3,565.98 (RTX 5070, the only 2025 configuration still sold) | From S$3,466.90 |
The CPU is the whole story. Intel's Core Ultra 200HX Plus series is a refresh of the Core Ultra 200HX family: Intel rates the 290HX Plus at up to 7% faster single-thread and up to 8% faster gaming than the Core Ultra 9 285HX, helped by a higher die-to-die frequency[7]. In practice the 290HX Plus is faster than the 275HX in CPU-bound work but not transformatively so. Graphics performance is the same at the same GPU tier because the RTX 50 Laptop parts did not change. ASUS lists support for up to five 4K displays on the ROG NUC 16 across HDMI, DisplayPort and Thunderbolt[2], and states that the 2025 ROG NUC passed multiple MIL-STD-810H tests[5].
Every ROG NUC configuration SourceIT stocks
Prices updated 21 October 2026.
ROG NUC 16 (2026): Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus / RTX 5080 / 32 GB / 1 TB β S$5,745.80 (also in white); Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus / RTX 5070 Ti / 32 GB / 1 TB β S$4,854.06 (also in white); Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus / RTX 5060 / 16 GB / 1 TB β S$3,466.90.
ROG NUC 16 Edition 20 (limited): Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus / RTX 5090 24 GB / 64 GB / 2 TB β S$11,888.40, in a semi-transparent anniversary chassis[3].
ROG NUC 15 (2025): Core Ultra 9 275HX / RTX 5070 / 32 GB / 1 TB β S$3,565.98. The RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 versions of the ROG NUC 15 are no longer available.
Prices are at time of writing; the ROG NUC collection shows live prices and stock.
Which ROG NUC configuration is worth it?
Best value: ROG NUC 15 with RTX 5070 at S$3,565.98. It costs S$99.08 more than the ROG NUC 16 RTX 5060 and brings a Core Ultra 9 and 32 GB of memory, and the 2026 range has no RTX 5070 tier. Its 8 GB of VRAM is the same as the RTX 5060's[8], so it is a gaming and general-creator pick rather than an AI one.
Best for creators and local AI: the RTX 5080 model, or the Edition 20. 16 GB of GDDR7 is the threshold that matters β it fits 7Bβ13B language models at FP8/INT4 with room for context, runs Stable Diffusion XL and FLUX comfortably, and handles DaVinci Resolve and Blender in a form factor that fits in a carry-on. The Edition 20's RTX 5090 Laptop has 24 GB[8] for larger models. The RTX 5070 Ti (12 GB) is a sensible step down for pure gaming at 1440p; the 5060 (8 GB) is the entry ticket and not the pick for AI.
Choose the ROG NUC 16 if you want the latest Intel platform for the longest driver and BIOS support window, the higher-clocked 290HX Plus for CPU-heavy work such as compiling or simulation, the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 tiers, or the white finish.
ROG NUC as a CUDA desktop: where it sits against GX10 and NUC 16 Pro
ASUS sells the ROG NUC to gamers, but for a developer who needs CUDA on Windows it fills a real gap in the ASUS Agent Computer range. The NUC 16 Pro runs small models on an NPU and Arc graphics but has no CUDA (see running Ollama on the NUC 16 Pro); the Ascent GX10 runs models of up to 200B parameters on CUDA with 128 GB of unified memory but runs NVIDIA DGX OS rather than Windows[9]. The ROG NUC with an RTX 5080 gives you PyTorch, TensorRT, ComfyUI and Ollama with GPU acceleration on a Windows desktop, for models that fit in 16 GB. The rule of thumb from our GB10 guide applies: for models that fit in VRAM, a discrete GeForce generates tokens faster than a GB10; for models that do not, only the GX10's 128 GB works. A ROG NUC and a GX10 side by side is a common developer desk β Windows and gaming on one, the 70B endpoint on the other.
ROG NUC vs ROG GR70: Intel or AMD mini gaming PC?
ASUS also sells the ROG GR70 β AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D with 3D V-Cache and an RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, 32 GB / 1 TB, Windows 11 Pro, at S$3,695[10]. The GR70 is the pick for gaming frame-rate consistency thanks to the X3D cache and ships with Windows 11 Pro; the ROG NUC is the pick for the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 tiers and Thunderbolt 4 (the GR70 has USB4 instead). Both have Wi-Fi 7, 2.5 GbE and a chassis of about the same footprint. The full creator comparison, including the Mac Studio, is in ROG NUC vs ROG GR70 vs Mac Studio.
Buying the ROG NUC in Singapore
SourceIT is an authorised ASUS reseller and stocks the ROG NUC 16 range and the remaining ROG NUC 15 configuration with official ASUS Singapore warranty, plus ASUS ROG and ProArt monitors. Corporate and education buyers can request Windows 11 Pro imaging and volume pricing. Browse the ROG NUC collection, use Request for Quotation on any product page, call (65) 6978 3502, or email Sales@sourceit.com.sg.
Sources
- ASUS ROG β ROG NUC 16 Tech Specs
- ASUS ROG β ROG NUC 16 product overview
- ASUS ROG β ROG NUC 16 Edition 20 Tech Specs
- ASUS ROG β ROG NUC (2025) Tech Specs
- ASUS ROG β ROG NUC (2025) product overview
- Intel β Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 290HX Plus specifications
- Intel Newsroom β Intel Launches New Core Ultra 200HX Plus Series Mobile Processors
- NVIDIA β GeForce RTX 50 Series Gaming Laptops
- ASUS β Ascent GX10
- ASUS ROG β ROG GR70 Tech Specs
Frequently asked questions
Is the ROG NUC 2026 the same as the ROG NUC 16? Yes β ROG NUC 16 is the model name for the 2026 refresh with Intel Core Ultra 200HX Plus processors; "ROG NUC 2026" is how it is commonly referred to.
Does the ROG NUC use a desktop or laptop RTX 5080? A laptop-class GeForce RTX 5080 with 16 GB of GDDR7, which is what makes a 3-litre chassis possible. It is slower than a desktop RTX 5080 but far faster than any integrated graphics.
Can I upgrade the RAM and SSD? Yes β two SODIMM slots (up to 64 GB on the ROG NUC 16, up to 96 GB on the ROG NUC 15) and two M.2 2280 slots on the ROG NUC 16. The CPU and GPU are soldered.
Is the ROG NUC good for AI and machine learning? For models up to about 13B parameters, Stable Diffusion and CUDA development on Windows, yes, on the RTX 5080; the Edition 20's 24 GB RTX 5090 stretches that further. For 70B-class models, use the ASUS Ascent GX10.
How loud is it? It is quiet at idle and audible under full gaming load, comparable to a thin gaming laptop. It is not a silent PC.
ROG NUC 15 or 16 β which should I buy? The ROG NUC 15 RTX 5070 at S$3,565.98 is the value pick for gaming; choose the ROG NUC 16 for the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 tiers, the newest CPU, the white finish or the longest support window.
